Astronaut Steve Bowen will replace Tim Kopra on the next space shuttle mission. Kopra, a mission specialist on STS-133, was injured in a bicycle accident. Bowen began training this week with the STS-133 crew, which includes Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe, and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott. Bowen also will train to perform the mission’s two planned spacewalks. A veteran flyer, Bowen has walked in space five-times. His two new excursions will take place when he partners with Drew to move a failed ammonia pump and perform other external configurations to the International Space Station. STS-133 will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, an external platform that holds large equipment and critical spare components for the station. It will also deliver Robonaut 2, or R2, the first human-like robot in space. The mission’s target launch date is February 24.

On Valentine’s Day the Stardust spacecraft, which finished one history-making mission five years ago, will now complete another, getting up close and personal with the Comet Tempel 1. You may recall that Comet Tempel 1, was deliberately smashed into in 2005 as part of the Deep Impact mission to study the comet’s interior. Now Tempel 1 will be revisited by the Stardust spacecraft for what is called the Stardust-Next mission. At a news briefing held at NASA Headquarters, Stardust scientists discussed the important landmark voyage.

Tim Larson:

"The last targeting maneuver, as we approach the comet, is two days out; that is the last maneuver that will be fully designed to target to our 200 kilometer flyby distance and that will be executed two days before we arrive at the comet. Right after that maneuver, we will be taking our last optical navigation images, and those are the images that we’ll use to build our best prediction of our actual flyby point and the path of the trajectory of the comet relative to the spacecraft."

This is the first-ever follow-up visit to a comet, and it will allow scientists to look for changes on a comet's surface caused by a close flyby.

Tim Larson:

"All out major uncertainties and challenges, we’ve addressed all of them. So, I’m frankly, very confident that we’re going to get a good flyby and good images of the comet."

On January 15, 2006, the Stardust spacecraft returned from a rendezvous with Comet Wild 2, and jettisoned its capsule containing particles collected directly from the comet, as well as interstellar dust.

Also at headquarters the agency's next Earth-observing satellite mission, Glory, was detailed at another briefing held in the James Webb auditorium. Glory, scheduled to launch February 23, will study the impact of the sun and airborne particles on Earth’s climate.

Joy Bretthauer:

"This will serve as a resource for making scientifically-based economic, health, and policy decisions related environmental change."

Both programs were broadcast live on NASA Television and on the agency's website.